I ran a bit while I was in Germany a year ago, but other than that I'm new to the subject. Background information:

* Male / ~6' / ~185lbs. No idea as to BF %, but I'm estimating 17-20%
* Won't run track / treadmill. If I'm going to run, I want to go somewhere.
* Will be wearing shoes. Don't have anything against the barefoot approach, but I don't plan on walking on coals anytime soon.

Ran 1.10 mile in 8:34 today (calculated with Google Maps), but was pretty winded at the end. Should I be looking at longer distances, thus slowing it down and pacing myself better, or getting a faster mile? My goal right now is purely weight loss - I have a competition with gf to see who can get a six pack first -- she has a big head start

Also, I planned the route such that the it sloped progressively downhill, and the last .2 mile or so is all uphill. Thoughts?

Note that this thread is open to anyone, but BDave seems to be the runner around here, so he made for the optimal MSpaint-chop.

@ pic. As for runners, p9 and Vanster are way more skilled than I and more knowledgeable. P9 hasn't been around in a while though, so hit up Vanster by PM.

Here is my advice, use it at your own discretion, injuries are not my fault :

You don't care about how fast you run. You want your system to lose fat. I recall hearing that as you run longer and more frequently, your body switches from glycogen to fat usage.
That being said, run long and run alot.

6 foot and 185 pounds is alright.
I advise you to jog 30-45 minutes (70% of MHR)every other day. By the 4 th day, do 15-20 minutes of fast running (85% of MHR).

A good way to check this out is by using a heart rate monitor. They can be pretty cheap (30 bucks) and are very helpful if you want to target a certain system(which you are).

Find your Maxium Heart Rate using this formula:
220-age.
You want your heart to be between 65 and 75.
So MRH * 0.75 = top range
So MRH * 0.65= bottom range

As for the run itself, do the down hill part first, and uphill part at the end. This will challenge your system.

Rules to follow: Very important, never stop. Even if you're dying, keep jogging. Go as slowly as possible but don't stop actually jogging.
Walking not allowed either.

Eat a hearty breakfast right when you wake up (try waking up early 9-11am) and drink alot (while eating mostly, helps absorbtion and digestion- ALWAYS drink when you eat) as it "jump starts" your metabolism allowing to burn more calories.

Jog in the middle of the day or beyond, when your
metabolism has fully "awakened".

I was doing some reading on HIIT (High Intensity Interval Training) that was pretty interesting. I can dig it up later if you want me to, but for the most part, this is what it said:

There were two groups of people chosen. The first group did the long cardio, 45-60 for the research period, and the second group did ~15min of HIIT for the research period (I think they bumped it up during the process, but I'm not sure). Anyway, the results they found were that the first group burned more calories, but the HIIT group lost more fat.

I know little to nothing about anything (true statement), so I can't really throw in big words to impress you. But if you want to lose weight, go ahead and try HIIT. I run about 1.75-2 mi a day in ~15min, and I tried to do HIIT and felt like I was going to die. So while I may lose more weight with it, I think I'm just too big of a *****.

@ pic. As for runners, p9 and Vanster are way more skilled than I and more knowledgeable. P9 hasn't been around in a while though, so hit up Vanster by PM.

Ok so you get ragged on the most for not lifting and idolizing athletes instead of body-builders.

Quote:

Originally Posted by blazindave

You don't care about how fast you run. You want your system to lose fat. I recall hearing that as you run longer and more frequently, your body switches from glycogen to fat usage. That being said, run long and run alot.

Is there ever a point of diminishing returns (distance vs speed) with regards to fat loss, or is distance > speed always?

Quote:

Originally Posted by blazindave

6 foot and 185 pounds is alright.
I advise you to jog 30-45 minutes (70% of MHR)every other day. By the 4 th day, do 15-20 minutes of fast running (85% of MHR).

I planned on jogging every other day 3 times a week (I've been lifting MWF since beginning of September). So 2 days of 70%, 3rd day of 85%?

Quote:

Originally Posted by blazindave

Rules to follow: Very important, never stop. Even if you're dying, keep jogging. Go as slowly as possible but don't stop actually jogging.
Walking not allowed either.

Yep. I cheated the first time by stopping early, but I blame it on being the first time in awhile (and poor pacing). Today was much better.

Quote:

Originally Posted by blazindave

Eat a hearty breakfast right when you wake up (try waking up early 9-11am) and drink alot (while eating mostly, helps absorbtion and digestion- ALWAYS drink when you eat) as it "jump starts" your metabolism allowing to burn more calories.

I usually eat 2 hard-boiled eggs and a bowl Total cereal between 7:30 - 8:30 AM (8 - 9 AM classes this semester).

If weight loss is the ultimate goal mix cardio with your weights. Cardio burns a huge chunk of calories while you're in the workout, but it's weights that keep you burning even after you go to bed. On a side note the calories you burn when you walk 2 miles vs. running 2 miles are exactly the same, but running has a greater effect on jumpstarting your metabolism.

If you want to get into running as a beginner the only two things you need to worry about are your time on the run and your perceived effort. Don't worry about heart rate monitors as it takes a decent amount of experience in a sport to learn when to listen to the HRM and when to ignore it completely (your heart rate changes based on weather, sleep, food, stress, etc. way too many factors to worry about, just stick to you perceived effort on a scale from 1-10).

Start out with 15 minutes easy a day. Your goal is to let your body acclimate to the stress without risking injury while building fitness. Don't worry about distance, stretch after your run, and listen to your body. It's ok to take 1-2 days off a week if you need to, but I wouldn't recommend taking them off back to back. Don't increase your time for the first week, but in the third week you should increase each run by 5 minutes if you didn't already for the second.

Keep making gradual adjustments, let your body adapt, stick with weights, and most importantly watch your diet. Calories in < Calories burned isn't rocket science, you will lose weight (just make sure your diet is balanced enough to support your excercise). Besides, would you rather have muscles made up of skittles, soda, and cheeseburgers or lean meat, fruits, and vegetables?

Ok so you get ragged on the most for not lifting and idolizing athletes instead of body-builders. )

Doesn't that make sense?

Quote:

Originally Posted by -Bane

Is there ever a point of diminishing returns (distance vs speed) with regards to fat loss, or is distance > speed always?)

I don't understand this question.

Quote:

Originally Posted by -Bane

I planned on jogging every other day 3 times a week (I've been lifting MWF since beginning of September). So 2 days of 70%, 3rd day of 85%?

No. I just meant, give yourself a 10 percent margin to where your heart rate should be in. It's impossible to keep your heart rate always at exactly 150 beats per minute, for example. Aim for 75 percent and let it fluctuate. If you see it's more in the 70 percent range, try to put a bit more effort or speed things up so your heart rate jumps up.
A heart rate monitor is useful, whether you are a beginner or not. Things like weather, stress, etc will affect your heart rate, but those are pretty much negligeable at this point. It's not like your heart will drop 10 beats per minute because it's cloudy.

However do like prowler said in terms of improvement.
Continue what you're doing now (i dunno how long you run for), except i would add 5 minutes every week.
What i used to do is run 15 minutes for 2 weeks, and then the next 2 weeks run half an hour, and then continue with an hour,etc
So within a month i'm back to running an hour.
This is with jogging only twice a week. However that is me, i don't know if it'll "work" for you.

As a guy just getting into running the cost of a HRM isn't worth the benefit he'd get out of using it. HRM's are great for more serious training, but at this point the most important thing is for him to get out there consistently.

Perceived effort will work just as well, will save him $$, and overall is a more accurate measurement of what his body can handle. I've seen too many people starting out become slaves to their HRM's. Also it's rare for the heart rate to be 10 beats lower (but possible), usually the problem is a higher than normal heart rate when the athlete is feeling fine. The HRM slaves instinctively dial back while those more experienced or going solely on perceived effort continue on to get the workout their body can truly handle for the day.

As a guy just getting into running the cost of a HRM isn't worth the benefit he'd get out of using it. HRM's are great for more serious training, but at this point the most important thing is for him to get out there consistently.

Perceived effort will work just as well, will save him $$, and overall is a more accurate measurement of what his body can handle. I've seen too many people starting out become slaves to their HRM's. Also it's rare for the heart rate to be 10 beats lower (but possible), usually the problem is a higher than normal heart rate when the athlete is feeling fine. The HRM slaves instinctively dial back while those more experienced or going solely on perceived effort continue on to get the workout their body can truly handle for the day.

I've always been told, if you want weight loss, keep a good moderate run going for 20 to 30 minutes. If you are looking for cardio, you want distance against a clock so that you always try to run faster. IE for a fat burn, run 4 miles at 8 or 8.5 mph, not to fast but will get your heart rate up. For Cardio, run four miles in a 6 or 7 minute pace.